The dissertation records how, depending on whom an author thinks we are morally indebted to, more emphasis is placed on a particular aspect of scientific knowledge. Wolff's view emphasizes the importance of content and truth: it takes the laws of nature to be absolutely true descriptions of a world that mirrors God's essence. Spinoza and Kant value the truth and content of scientific knowledge as well, but they place more emphasis on its method, its attitude, and its structure.

Through this analysis, I underscore important aspects of these authors' systems. For Bacon and Descartes, I show the common moral ground from which their views start, and how their work contains the seeds of future arguments. Regarding Christian Wolff, I explore the relationship between his view of God's intellect and his claims about the connection between metaphysics, morality, and the physical sciences. For both him and Spinoza, I provide an account of how their deductive systems accommodate observation and experience. In the case of Kant, finally, I explore and confirm the necessary connection between what we owe others and what we owe ourselves.